Adult Summer Reading 2017: Reader Reviews

As I love to read mysteries and detective novels this one surprised me! It is a beautifully written, poignant, sad and surprising detective ("sleuth") story. The main character is endearing, clever and brave = a true heroine. I could not put this one down. It is the first in the series and I can't wait for the next one! - Jane Friedman

2 stars - It was OK.
It was the perfect summer book because it was made up of very short chapters so I could pick it up to fill a few moments and put it down without losing the flow. Also, I love the memoir/personal essay genre so it was fun to have one two page section be about the author's childhood piano lessons and how they prepared her for the disciplined nature of being a writer right up against another chapter about what she likes to keep on her writing desk. The main thing I didn't like was the fact that she gave very dubious writing advice. "If you can envision being anything else you're not meant to be a writer" and other sort of privileged nonsense.

4 stars - I really liked it.
This memoir is very well written. It is honest and gives you a real appreciation for what the actor's ability to rise above his impoverished troubled home life and the obstacles he has encountered in his illustrious career. Mr. Balwin's humor and insights are entertaining and worthwhile. Listening to the author read his book on the audio version was particularly enjoyable. - Ira Levin

5 stars - I loved it!
This is a wonderful book of one woman's journey through the Outback of Australia with an Aboriginal tribe known as the Real People. On page 50 it segues from being an engaging tale into a heightened education on being human. The insights are astounding and inspiring. It offers you a simple outlook on life that will enrich you. -Ira Levin

4 stars - I really liked it.
I first learned about Jennifer Doudna's scientific research on a recent Sixty Minutes program and became fascinated by the idea of gene editing and the idea of controlling evolution which led me to want to read her recently published book. Although a great deal of the book was beyond my scientific knowledge, I was glad that I read it because I believe that this body of research has the potential of eradicating genetic diseases. She introduced me to CRISPR , a revolutionary technology that she helped to create that has the potential of manipulating DNA there by eliminating inheritable diseases such as sickle cell anemia, Huntington's disease, etc. What a powerful technology that raises many ethical, moral, and geopolitical questions. -Janice Dime

5 stars - I loved it!
Brings back memories of my teenage years. Son of Sam, NYC Blackout. Young adult novel with an excellent story line.

5 stars - I loved it!
Set in Europe--Germany and England. Amazing story about a German girl studying in England who falls in love with a blakc man from Barbados during the 1930s. She has to go back to Germany and make her life without him.

5 stars - I loved it!
This is a coming of age story about a teenager and his friends who spend their summer in Sag Harbor, Long Island.

4 stars - I really liked it.
Is there such a thing as the perfect crime? Charles Bruno meets Guy Haines, a successful architect, on a train and proposes murdering Guy's estranged wife and having Guy murder Charles's father, This book is a psychological thriller. - Janice DIme

3.5 stars - I liked it.
I always enjoy 1st person with an unreliable narrator. This was a quick read with realistic likable characters and a good look at depression and dysfunctional families. - Joanna Ollendorf

4 stars- I really liked it.
This was funny, warm, and full of Southern charm. An upbeat Steel Magnolias. LOL in parts! - Cindy Graham

3 stars - I liked it.
Anybody who hasn't read it should, if only because 1984 has become such an icon of popular culture. - Amy Estersohn

4 stars - I really liked it.
This super-short novel in verse is emotional and affecting about a son who doesn't seem to live up to his father's expectations. Though it's a children's book, the themes are universally appealing. - Amy Estersohn

3 stars - I liked it.
I don't know what I expected from a books written in the 1960's that also has a John Wayne movie based on it, and a 2010's remake. It was funnier than I thought it would be, less grittier than I thought it would be. Oddly enough, not cliched at all though I thought pretty hard about how it might have been. - Kimberly Spagnuolo

2 stars - It was OK.
This is a comprehensive education on the history of sugar and how it was incorporated into our foods. It includes research findings and lists the numerous medical conditions we suffer from as a result of sugar consumption. Reads more like a text book and contains a substantial bibliography to back up his research.

5 stars.
Excellent and probably the first book one should read about the Holocaust as Marrus carefully and very judiciously sorts through the massive amount of historical research done on this central event of the modern era. He examines various aspects of the whole event; e.g., what led to the Final Solution (Intentionalism versus Functionalism), Jewish resistance, role of neutral countries, bystanders, European anti-Semitism (East and West), etc. Balanced, sound, immensely readable, compelling. - Tom Nassisi

5 stars.
Fussell is a marvelous writer and this short work, so wonderfully written, goes a long way in depicting the horrors, brutality, and stupidities of war, saturated as it is with screw-ups, “friendly fire,” hatred of officers by regular soldiers, etc. Fussell avoids clichés and sentimentalism of all kinds, including all that pious hooey about the so-called “greatest generation” — American soldiers, very young by the time 1944-1945 rolled around, were poorly trained and prone to hysteria, desertion, defeatism, and racism; on the other hand., the German troops they faced were better equipped, hardened, and fiercer fighters. This can be read in a day. - Tom Nassisi

5 stars - I loved it!
I love Maisie. What a heroine!
Mystery, romance and history - all in one! I don't usually read war stories, but this series is so well done. told so beautifully that I am glad I made an exception. - Jane Friedman

5 stars.
Brilliant account concentrating on the swath of land running through east Europe (the Baltic states, Belarus, Poland, the Ukraine) where fourteen million civilians were murdered by Hitler and Stalin. Stalin starved millions in the Ukraine, purposely and with malice. A few years later came Stalin’s Great Terror, which included the persecution of ethnic minorities; e.g., of the 600,000 Soviet Poles, most were executed. When Germany invaded Poland in 1939, Poles and Jews were subjected to mass executions during the invasion by the Wehrmacht, not just the SS; the Russians, invading from the other side, murdered the Polish elites, as did Heydrich’s Einsatzgruppen, which killed about 50,000 Poles. These units also murdered Jews, of course. The Soviets slaughtered approximately 20,000 Polish officers in Katyn and other locations, and the families of these slain officers were sent to the GULAG. With Operation Barbarossa in 1941, the Germans deliberately murdered ten million people, including approximately five million Jews and three million Russian POWs. Hitler, as had Stalin, also used starvation as a weapon (Goering organized this policy), most of the victims being Russian POWs. After it became clear that the Soviet Union was not going to collapse, Hitler decided upon the total extermination of the Jews, and the Wehrmacht went along with this policy. Village after village, city after city was made Jew-free via mass shootings; e.g., Babi Yar. The greatest number of German atrocities was in Belarus, where half the population was either killed or deported. Snyder covers the Warsaw Ghetto uprising in 1943, followed by the 1944 Warsaw uprising which put the Poles in an impossible situation (they were caught between Hitler and Stalin) and in response to which Himmler ordered the complete elimination of Warsaw’s civilian population — many shot, women raped and shot, 150,000 during the uprising itself, 1.3 million during the war years; when the Soviets marched into a destroyed Warsaw (the Nazis had leveled about 85% of the city), they interrogated and shot surviving members of the Polish Home Army. Massive amounts of rapes were committed by the Red Army, the victims Poles, Yugoslavs, and most especially German women. Stalin ordered Poland to ethnically cleanse itself of Germans, which resulted in massive deportations of Germans from the newly carved out western Poland. The last chapter deals with Stalin’s anti-Semitism, for which his overall goals were: (1) to pretend that World War II was started in 1941 when Germany invaded Russia (not 1939 when Germany and Russia were allies and both invaded Poland); and (2) to forget about the Jewish Holocaust; the evidence is mixed as to whether or not Stalin would have / could have killed masses of Jews during the Doctor’s Plot. Anti-Semitism also broke out again in Poland in 1968 when 17,000 mostly Polish Jews were forced to leave the country. The book ends with a Conclusion and Abstract, summarizing the points Snyder made throughout the book. Highly recommended. - Tom Nassisi

4 stars.
Profusely illustrated and very well-written. Much space devoted to other personages besides Stoker as well as the literary and cultural background of the period, including sexual mores and homosexuality. Stoker was a great admirer of Walt Whitman; Oscar Wilde courted the beautiful Florence Bascombe, the woman Stoker would later marry — his marriage was somewhat problematic as Stoker possibly had gay leanings; he becomes manager of the famous actor Henry Irving around the time he marries Florence (they have one son). The book also follows Oscar Wilde’s career. Stoker absorbs much material which he later uses for Dracula; e.g., Henry Irving’s interpretation of Mephistopheles, the possibility that Jack the Ripper was Francis Tumblety, a Canadian-born American quack doctor who sported a gigantic mustache (as did Dracula). Stoker falls on hard times, loses his health, can barely walk, and dies (possibly of syphilis) — but the Skal’s book goes on for another 100 pages discussing, among other things, the growing fame of Dracula, first as a play, then in the movies. All in all, a very good read. - Tom Nassisi

5 stars.
I always thought this book was brilliant — and upon reading it again after many years, I still do. According to the translator’s Preface, Reck believed that our problem, the problem of the modern world, is “mass man.” Reck is harshly critical of Germany from the time of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870 when, under Bismarck, Germany began lusting after material success. Reck’s prose is scintillating, from start (1936) to finish (1944). His hatred of Hitler and Nazism is visceral and deep, as is his disdain of the masses, whom he calls “irremediably sick and futureless.” There are many brilliant turns of phrase, deep anger at the stupidity and avarice of the industrialists and the German people in general, and much harsh language is employed. A conservative monarchist, Reck despised the capitalist class, the canaille, the bourgeoisie, and the Prussians. Highly recommended. -Tom Nassisi

5 stars - I loved it!
Honest explanation of our country's history of white supremacy and hate. A must read for all Americans.

4 stars - I really liked it.
A coming of age story with a twist, a 13 year old native american boy living on a reservation and trying to revenge the rape of his mother. Very well written, sensitive and funny. It was hard to put it down. - Debby Katz

2 stars - It was OK.
Didn't care very much for this book. Much of it was description, lots and lots of description. Very little dialog. I didn't find the plot complex or the characters interesting. They were one-dimensional. I guessed the ending of the book, which, to me, is never a good sign. - Alice Kintisch

4 stars - I really liked it.
Great, entertaining summer reading. I will be renting a lot of Rob Lowe movies this summer.

5 stars - I loved it!
Besides from being the outrageous and gifted host of the Daily Show, Trevor Noah is a talented writer. This memoir of growing up in South Africa is engaging, humorous, heartbreaking and beautiful. Mr. Noah's insights into childhood, parenthood, family dynamics, Apartheid, racial inequalities, and human nature are insightful and astounding. I highly recommend getting the audio version of this book to hear Trevor's dialects, impersonations and mellifluous recitation. - Ira Levin

5 stars - I loved it!
Another in the series staring Detective Jonathan Stride. Quick paced, hard and to put down. Makes you really think about perceptions. - Susan

5 stars - I loved it!
Lyrical, graceful and haunting prose. I listened to the audio book and Toni Morrison's voice transported me to the supernatural world of Sethe, a former slave, with her story and the story of her slain daughter taking place during slavery and the reconstruction era. A truly disturbing and revealing ghost story. - Adrienne Diedrich

5 stars. I loved it!
The story of a teen and the struggles he encounters growing up. A spoiled troubled teenager trying to find himself. I read this book in high school. I enjoyed it much more now.

5 stars. I loved it.
Follows an FBI profiler in his cases and this one hits too close to home. Very suspenseful; could not put it down! -Susan

3 stars. I liked it.
A slow moving book, but it is worth the wait. Thalia's story is the cement that keeps you reading. You need to know her story! It was'This best book, but........ -Eugene Homicki

5 stars. I loved it!
Suspense. Believable/Unbelievable entwined. Loved it.

3 stars. I liked it.
Delightful characters. Takes place in Batswana. Simplistic read.

4 stars. I really liked it.
This was so weird! But I really liked it, and I can't wait to continue the series.

5 stars. I loved it!
Very imaginative - I guessed an element of the climax, but the way this book was written was so gripping. I inhaled it! Definitely recommended to those who like lush fantasy.

5 stars. I loved it!
I loved it! This one was memorable. I couldn't put it down. The plot was suspenseful and totally surprised me at the end. The story of WWI soldiers - so brave and poignant. - Jane Friedman

2 stars. It was OK.
I really wanted to like this book... Maybe I'm just too old? Who knows why, but I wasn't enthralled by this book -- even though I'm interested in bread-baking! Just too California-woohey-out-there, maybe... Not sure, since I did like Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore I lot (by the same author). When things got weird in this book, I just shrugged. Give it a try; you might like it. Perhaps I just wasn't in the mood for it. The whole Mazg brothers' music and the singing yeast annoyed me, and the description of the software company just sounded like too many stories I've already read about Silicon Valley companies and their employees. The "who is Mr. Marrow" mystery and its eventual reveal also struck me as contrived. -Alice Kintisch

4 stars - I really liked it.
A heart-warming story. Themes include love, loss, generational conflict, addiction, sibling relationships, grief, aging, parenting. The action that kicks off the book's main story may be a bit far-fetched (I will not spoil it by revealing it), but if you take that as a "could happen", then you'll be enthralled by this fairly simple book with a straight-forward, simple writing style. I especially liked the brothers relationship and the wonderful dog who had to be counted as one of the characters. The book describes the adventures of one momentous summer, then shifts to years later. I liked that, too. A good story, well-told. - Alice Kintisch

5 stars - I loved it!
The Silent Corner is the best book that Koontz has written. I couldn't put it down. Jane Hawk and Trahern are both unique characters. James Thurber wrote a short story about the ability to make people learn by operating on their brains.. The book goes beyond that concept. It could become a reality. It's a great book! Read it, if you dare to! - Gene Homicki

5 stars - I loved it!
This was a great book! Tess never disappoints. Usually when a series of books becomes a TV series the writing of the books takes a beating. In this instance the books have remained just as well written as the TV series was. It is a shame it went off the air. - Kimberly Cummings

5 stars - I loved it!
Loved this book about two strong women, mother and daughter, and how they cope when life changing decisions are made for them. - Susan

5 stars. I loved it!
Very interesting African story about the history of the Kintu Clan. Cursed bloodlines and family stories. Great Novel.

5 stars - I loved it!
"Accidents ambush the unsuspecting, often violently, just like love." This is my sixth or seventh time reading this book, and every time I read it, I love it a little more. If pressed to describe the "type" of book this is, I'd say it's a little of mystery, romance, historical fiction, and weird. I say weird because the first time I read this book, there were a few parts where I paused and wasn't sure if I was going to like the rest of the book. (At one point the narrator graphically describes his career in pornography, though the whole book is graphic in other regards as well, such as when he describes his burn wounds and the treatments and surgeries for the them.) But this book was worth it. When I reread it, I notice little things about the story and the characters and how it connects each of them. The words and descriptions are rich and beautiful, the characters interesting and flawed. I would probably recommend this book to anyone, and leave it up to them whether or not they want to continue reading it once they start. - Kimberly Spagnuolo

5 stars. I loved it!
This is a fast paced murder mystery book that I couldn't put down. - Susan Adelson

The Catcher in the Rye tells the story of a boy named Holden who is very troubled by wise, in a sense, for his age. He doesn't specify parts of his life but that he is in a mental hospital by the end of the story.

5 stars. I loved it!
This was helpful in planning our trip to Cape May

4 stars. I really liked it.
After reading Me Before You I have loved every one of Jojo Moyes' books. Last Letter is no exception. After an accident a woman who can't remember her life only knows that she is not happy and seeks to find some meaning in her life - Debra Katz

2 stars. It was OK.
Not sure why this book didn't engage me, but it fell short. Too much inner dialog, perhaps. I did like the early part of the book where the two girls are best friends. The intensity of their friendship was well described and I think true to life as it is when you are 12 years old or so. Cassie's trip to find her father on the other hand didn't seem realistic to me. Bev's relationship to Shute was left too vague, as was what happened to Cassie that led to the book's climactic scene. - Alice Kintisch

5 stars - I loved it!
Debbie Macomber's books are quick reads and filled with characters you come to care about. This story is no different. It is a story about faith, love and second chances.

5 stars - I loved it!
This is a touching story of love lost and love gained. Spent a day at the beach reading this! - Susan A.

4 stars - I really liked it.
Another funny read in this new series. It can be very silly but it's a fun read. - Kristen Talusan

5 stars - I loved it!
This is another funny book in the series. I love the mystery. She always does a good job keeping the person who did it hard to figure out. I laughed throughout the book. - Kristen Talusan

4 stars - I really liked it.
There were things I liked and things I did not like about this book. On the plus side: The inclusion of bits of stories, entire stories, pieces of literature is clever and very engaging. The premise of how learning to read can change a life is worth exploring. Showing how even people in dire circumstances love, grieve, in short share all the emotions of we who are blessed with favorable circumstances is a powerful important message. I liked the interaction between the main character and her husband, very playful and clearly a model for a happy fulfilling marriage. On the not so good side: The language seemed out of place with a character placed in Cambodia; word choice seemed jarring at times. The ending was a bit pat, with ends neatly tied together. That being said, the look into life in a huge garbage dump and the history and culture of Cambodia that the reader learns are well worth the time taken to read this book. I give it four stars because of that. - Alice Kintisch

3.5 stars - I liked it.
If you enjoy mystery, secrets playing out and all the drama that follows then Chase's book is sure to amuse. Black Rabbit Hall is like falling through the looking glass and perhaps not landing in a cushion. It combines everything you want in a mystery: a past & present with charachters who draw you in to the "truth." Let your imagination run as wild as the children in the woods. Good for more than one read! - Ann Owens

2 stars - it was ok.
This book was not what I expected from Lincoln's son Willie's time "crossing over." The frenetic movement from one character to the next combined with its lewd encounters made it difficult to get to know the characters. I couldn't connect to many of the ghostly acquaintances even though the audio performance was entertaining. It was difficult to sympathize with anyone but poor confused Willie partly due to the bawdy pathos and gross humor he encountered. I kept hoping Willie would get out of his "hell." While this is an unprecedented and unique book, it's a miss for my taste. :(

5 stars. I loved it!
Jacqueline Winspear has created a detective series that is unique, unforgettable and astonishing. The detective, physchologist, Maise Dobbs is brilliant. The brave people of England who endure great suffering after WWI have grabbed my heart. I cannot put these books down! - Jane Friedman

5 stars - I loved it!
I love this series. Not predictable at all and the characters are great. So far each book seems to feature one of the characters more prominently than the others allowing you to get to know that character better. -Kimberly Cummings

5 stars - I loved it!
Always a great read. It does take a little getting used to the style/language of writing. But the stories are always unpredictable. - Kimberly Cummings

3 stars - I liked it.
Light and quick read, perfect for the summer. Very humorous if you have a dark side.

3 stars - I liked it.
Animal Farm is a satire addressing communism and the 1917 Russian Revolution - or the RR as representative of any revolt with an ultimate depressing message that revolt is futile because things will always pretty much go back to the way they were. While obviously not to be taken literally, I found myself distracted wondering who is who and what exactly was being satirized when but perhaps this was more due to my ignorance about the Russian Revolution than a short coming of the book. Still, clearly a thought provoking comment on both a specific episode in history as well as human nature in general. -Adrienne Diedrich

5 stars - I loved it!
Race with ex-director of the CIA Kirk McGarvey to foil the plans of the freelance Terrorist Kamal. Hired by the Saudis to recreate 911, Kamal tries to kill McGarvey. Hagberg creates a situation for his hero to overcome. A fast read. - Alan Pressman

5 stars - I loved it!
This is my first book by this author. It was fantastic and unpredictable. I am looking forward to the rest of the series. -Kimberly Cummings

3 stars - I liked it.
Tender account of love and loss - Barbara Taicner

I loved this book. It added a dimension to my spiritual leaders that I found comforting, yet the storyline was whimsical and fun. - Margaret Adames

5 stars - I loved it!
Discovering Mary Oliver is like discovering the outdoors for the first time. Her poetry is easily savored and accessible to anyone who has taken the time to admire a butterfly or flower. This collection of essays are poetic and weave together to create a Walden for the 21st century. Mary takes such care painting each landscape, she guides you into a reverent state, as if you are standing in the middle of a forest or meadow at dawn. The writing is so good, it makes you glad to be alive. - Ira Levin

Just finished Robert Parker's Little White Lies by Ace Atkins. Ace is not quite as good as Parker, but I enjoyed the book. It was witty, clever, a fun detective story. His Spenser detective stories never disappoint. Spenser is tough and funny and always looking for justice. - Jane Friedman

4 stars - I really liked it.
This was more twisted than I had anticipated. Beautifully written, though slow to start.

5 stars - I loved it!
I really like this series. It is a quick read and so far they are unpredictable. - Kimberly Cummings

5 stars - I loved it!
This was a very dense, but well written book. It filled in a lot of gaps in my knowledge of the IRA. Gerry Adams in particular. - Kimberly Cummings

5 stars - I loved it!
James Baldwin was an amazing author. The book was very serious and engaging.

5 stars - I loved it!
I've always enjoyed Toni Morrison's writing. This story is especially important right now because it speaks about white supremacy in the eyes of children--their experiences as well as those of adults.

5 stars - I loved it!
This is a serious and intelligent novel about a woman's journey to find freedom. This is a more truthful story about our nation's horrible history. I strongly recommend this book.

3 stars - I liked it.
This was a very interesting book about how someone from Ohio can go to Hollywood and become a very famous actor.

4 stars - I really liked it.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book about Lily, a dachshund, and Ted, a gay guy who have a special relationship. I couldn't help but think about my own special dogs. - Janice Dime

A bit predictable and cliche but still pulls at your heartstrings. Easy summer read.

3 stars - I liked it.
Interesting story of Dominicans coming to America and the struggles of youth. I just wish my Spanish was better! - Barbara Taicner

5 stars - I loved it!
The Women's Murder Club tackles two cases this time. It is a perfect beach or pool read. - Susan

5 stars - I loved it!
This book has gotten rave reviews in the Young Adult world for good reason: it works as a fast-paced story with compelling characters, and it reminds us that even when we may think ourselves to be solitary we are in fact connected to others in countless ways. - Amy Estersohn

4 stars - I really liked it.
U.S. Marshall Lucas Davenport is the main character in this book and follows him on a twist and turn case. Hard to put the book down! - Susan

5 stars - I loved it!
If you like good detective novels, then Brian Freeman is the author for you. His books follow Detective Jonathan Stride on cases in Duluth, MN. Very fast paced, easy to read and suspenseful. - Susan

4 stars - I really liked it.
I liked this book enough that I would have read it a few more times if I hadn't had to return it to the library. Charlamagne has a lot of good insights and advice and no nonsense straight talk. I want some people I know to read this. The only thing that threw me off was the section about white devils right after the two sections about how everyone should be loving and accepting of everyone including women and gays. He goes on to say that 80% of white people are bad and out to get you and I'm gonna call his bs on this. Maybe that's his truth (which is I'm sure is what he'd say) but out of the 7+billion people int he world, almost 2 billion are white, so for simplicity's sake, ~800,000,000+ are white devils? I don't think we would have made it past slavery and civil rights if that were the case. Other than that, a great book. - Kimberly Spagnuolo

5 stars - I loved it!
Tess Gerritsen always writes a great story. Even though this on was short, it still kept me on the edge of my seat. I am starting to read her next book in this series "Die Again". - Kimberly Cummings

4 stars - I really liked it.
Charming mystery with humans and cats.The red hat sisterhood has a convention in Las Veas.The cats know how to get around.An easy read. - Barbara Taicner

5 stars.
The most compelling and fascinating book I’ve read about Shakespeare’s works (not the man) in a long, long time. While a graduate student in English (1968), Rosenbaum grew bored and restless, but his life changed in 1970 when he saw Peter Hall’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, whereupon he embarked on a lifelong journey of reading and re-reading Shakespeare, his plays becoming an obsession, their depth, ambiguity, and bottomlessness opening up rabbit-hole after rabbit-hole of possible meaning. Rosenbaum interviews / reads many of the leading Shakespearean directors, actors, scholars, and editors of the plays and sonnets. Much disputation about the actual texts, whether or not Shakespeare did the revisions himself, arguments over the final words of Hamlet, Lear, and Othello. Also explored are how the lines should be spoken, how to pause (Peter Hall is a fanatic on this subject). Interesting insights into the difference between the original and modernized spelling and the shades / uses of ambiguity and the restoration of missing dimensions in the original spellings. Perceptive chapter on acting styles, the character of Shylock (nice-guy Shylocks, according to Rosenbaum, make the anti-Semitism even worse), and the simple fact that The Merchant of Venice is thoroughly anti-Semitic — the Nazis staged it no less than fifty times! Excellent chapter on movie versions of the plays, which Rosenbaum considers superior to most stage productions which, he finds, are predominantly mediocre. Rosenbaum vigorously disputes Harold Bloom’s Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human, especially Bloom’s take on Falstaff. Highly recommended. -Tom Nassisi

4 stars - I really liked it.
I think Sherman Alexie is a terrific writer. He captures the Indian sensibility with a no-holes-barred approach: the truth, as he sees it, is told even when it includes characteristics that are not favorable in the least. Many of the stories are beautiful and heart-breaking. I did find the themes repetitive, but his wonderful sense of humor kept me reading. And although I had read some of the stories in an earlier anthology of Alexie's stories, I still found these compelling and very well worth reading. - Alice Kintisch

4 stars - I really liked it.
I thoroughly enjoyed the plot and characters of this book. It reminded me a little of The Underground Railroad. It was a fast read. A good beach book. - Janice Dime

5 stars - I loved it!
Imagine picking up the wrong laptop at airport security and finding Top Secret NSA information on it. Mike Tanner, a gourmet coffee roaster is in that situation. Everyone wants the laptop: the NSA, the Russians, as well as the senator on the Senate intelligence committee, who illegally downloaded it and wil do anyrhing to get it back. Great book! - Alan Pressman

5 stars - I loved it!
Follow the true story of William Dodd and his family. Dodd was American ambassador to Germany from 1933-37. Read about a story that was truly unbelievable. I couldn't put it down. - Alan Pressman

4 stars - I really liked it.
This book follows three women before and after WWII. It is riveting, heartbreaking and compelling to think that these kinds of stories were actually true. Some times it is difficult to get thru, but well worth it. - Susan

1 star - I didn't like it.
This story was disjointed and hard to follow. Gave it a shot, but just couldn't finish it. - Susan

4 stars - I really liked it.
Classic children's book about an indian girl, accidentally stranded on an island and left for years to survive on her own. Karana is a strong willed, bright and independent girl living off the land, befriending animals and using her natural surroundings to explore and survive while waiting to be rescued.

1 star - I didn't like it.
DNF at about 50%. Considering this is a relatively short (300~ pages not including bibliography, footnotes, etc) it is absurd that over the FIRST THIRD is all build up consisting of the same crime stats repeated over and over again in slightly different ways. I get it, the police constables were inept. I got that after the first fifty pages of this repetitive information. Who would have thought a book about the birth of the NYPD in the crime ridden, gang infested, poverty stricken, strife filled 1820's-1850's could be so boring. - Kimberly Spagnuolo

3 stars - I liked it.
I liked this, particularly the attention to detail for the time period. However, Lincoln was not the "Sherlock" he was presented to be in the description. Joshua Speed did the majority of the sleuthing. The story also felt a little, I guess the word is sudden? Like, ALL OF SUDDEN everything falls into place because of one thing that happens that kind of can be connected to everything else. It was kind of unsatisfying. - Kimberly Spagnuolo

5 stars - I loved it!
A great collection of short stories. Some I've read, but most are new. - Ann Marie Homicki

To his accomplishments as Washington and international reporter and news anchor, Bret Baier can add 'Historian' for his work writing Three days in January: Dwight Eisenhower's final mission. Baier studied the President's papers to understand and link his farewell address to the present day. Ike's heretofore little known differences with Truman and the unlimited advice and assistance he gave to Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson are featured in this excellent book. - James V. O'Neill

4 stars - I really liked it.
Captivating story of the magnetic compass leading to travel on the high seas and adventure an amazing time in history.

3 stars - I liked it.
I enjoyed reading the novel but I would have like Ms Krentz to have spent more time developing the relationship between the main characters, Max and Charlotte... - Ann Marie Homicki

5 stars - I loved it!
At first I thought this book in the Lincoln Rhyme series was a bit boring. There was a lot of information about electricity. But when I got to the end I was entirely surprised!! - Kimberly Cummings

5 stars - I loved it!
This is a wonderful sequel to Howl's Moving Castle. The story stands on its own and can be enjoyed by adults, teens and slightly older children alike. I am sure that some of J.K. Rowling's ideas for Harry Potter were influenced by this book. Ms. Wynne-Jones is a very gifted writer. The story draws you in and skillfully ushers you along effortlessly. It is a great choice for an engaging light-hearted summer read. - Ira Levin

5 stars.
A profound book, some of which I can’t pretend to fully understand. Demands a very close reading, as it is tightly argued and is a work of philosophy not polemics, packing a lot into its 180 pages. Written in 1930, it’s much more than just a screed against the masses. Mass-man, heir to the richness of life of the nineteenth century (specifically Europe) and created by it, is spoiled, thinking the world was always just as it is now and that it is filled with limitless possibilities as well as complete freedom, leading mass-man to think he has no need to appeal to any authority outside of himself. Nobility consists of a life of effort, ever set on excelling oneself, as opposed to the common life, inert and immobile. Leaders of the twentieth century are ignorant of history, thus the appeal of Fascism and Communism. Highly recommended. - Tom Nassisi

3 stars - I liked it.
FBI Special Agent Dark is a top notch profiler who is was involved with a serial killer. This is a battle between good and evil, and there is so much evil. What hurt the book was the emphasis on sex or the detailed sexual descriptions. There wasn't a need for such detailed descriptions, because it was a good book. - Gene Homicki

5 stars - I loved it!
Memoir of Noah's life in South Africa as apartheid was ending and in the years soon after. Keen observations of social and political assumptions from a smart person with a unique perspective. Humorous and insightful. - Adrienne Diedrich

4 stars - I really liked it.
If you have not read Mary Oliver, you are in for prolonged treat, but do not start with this collection. Having just lost her life partner, the poems lean heavily upon religious conviction. Her poems still grow naturally towards the light of nature and there are some outstanding gems like the poem: Mozart, For Example. Start with one of these books: Wild Geese, Upstream, A Thousand Mornings, Felicity, Why I Wake Up Early or Blue Horses. Mary Oliver bring the splendor of nature right into your heart. - Ira Levin

5 stars. I loved it!
Always an easy read with James Patterson! This book follows murders based on a book by a criminal behavior and involves the NYPD. Definite a beach read! - Susan

5 stars. I loved it.
I love the Gabriel Allon series of books. They are unpredictable and always keep me on the edge of my seat. -Kimberly Cummings

2 stars. It was OK.
I read this book having read a review of it in the NY Times Book Review. As usual, I'll leave plot summaries to others... I liked the dialog, often thinking that the author captured the way a 60-ish woman might think, say or feel. What I didn't like is that the book's ending tied up loose ends too neatly. I cannot reveal them (they'd be spoilers), but I guessed early on how the book would end... That to me is never a good sign. Why be so obvious? I read the book in a day; it's a fast read. While I sympathized with the main character's grief and sense of loss, she was a bit over the top. She couldn't do simple math? She didn't know where the water meter was? or the main valve to turn off the water? Yikes. Scary to think anyone lives like that... I expected much more, but turned out disappointed in the end. -Alice Kintisch

3 stars. I liked it.
If only my fingers and hands worked better. Fun tricks for a party.

3 stars. I liked it.
This is a series of strip comics featuring the current Disney Princess lineup, and was created by the same creator of the webcomics, Pocket Princesses, which I prefer to this comic collection. My favorite strips featured Belle, and her troubles in reading (such as crying when she finishes a great book, only because the book is complete instead of continuing the greatness!).

4 stars. I really liked it
I was very affected by the writings in this collection. I can understand the criticism of the currently-hyped poetry collections, as they are not the traditional verse we would study in English class, but I feel the style of Kaur's poetry helps the reader to understand the words, and the emotions behind the words.

5 stars. I loved it!
I really enjoyed reading about one of my favorite authors. She endured so much tragedy and came through it all to become a famous writer. Very inspirational.

5 stars. I loved it!
The Last Juror was one of his best novels. It was southern charm at its best! A clever, funny, poignant thriller with a sad punch at the end. - Jane Friedman

3 stars. I liked it.
Nice, smooth, summer reading. Anne lost everything after a divorce. A hurricane destroys her home. She learned to rewrite her life. She reinvents her life telling other peoples' stories.

5 stars. I loved it!
A recent visit to the National Steinbeck Center (http://www.steinbeck.org/) while visiting California has inspired me to read more of Steinbeck's work this summer. The Red Pony explores life and death in the Salinas Valley through four short stories. Steinbeck has such an amazing ability to impart deep meaning and emotion through ordinary experiences. I highly recommend this short novel. -Adrienne Diedrich

4 stars - I really liked it.
Interesting book on our government,past and present. As a believer in smaller government, limiting government input into our lives is appealing to me. The corruption on both sides is outstanding.

5 stars - I loved it!
A Jack Ryan Jr. novel finds Jack in Singapore performing a White op as a financial analyst along with accountant Paul Brown. They are auditing an aerospace company for a merger. Paul is asked by the company's owner to do a little espionage without telling Jack. Soon they are caught up in trouble with operators from another country trying to stop them. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did. - Alan Pressman

1 star - I didn't like it.
I didn't like the writing style the author used. Found it very disjointed, along with the story, which was a bit far fetched.

5 stars. I loved it!
Excellent book with a behind-the-scenes look at some of the biggest crimes that occurred in Rockland.

1 star - I didn't like it.
Just a little disclaimer: This story was originally on WattPad and was only on sale for a short period of time. I want to post this review anyway because I felt strongly about not liking this book. Colleen Hoover typically writes adult romance books and they're great, I really like her work. This book was written as a darker, edgier version of that complete with drugs, undercover cops, and rape. The concept was interesting, and the story line was definitely suspenseful, BUT. When the protagonists start acting like the antagonists for no real explainable reason, it's a problem. When the savior male character is basically bad guy-lite because he's controlling in a nice way, it's a problem. Things are not explained well, conclusions are jumped to, and overall, Hoover fails to write a believable dark story. - Kimberly Spagnuolo

4 stars. I really liked it.
Terrific short stories. Some are humorous; many serious but with the wonderful British sly humor around the edges. The word choice and character descriptions are spot on. The wonderful story "Bridge" will haunt me, and I'm remembering "Old As The Hills" as an homage to us women of a certain age and beyond. Very well done, Ms. Lively! - Alice Kintisch

5 stars. I loved it!
This story follows the trials of identical twin sisters based in bother Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Island. Definitely a beach read. Elin Hilderbrand's weaves a wonderful story. - Susan Adelson

5 stars. I loved it!
Veronica, by Mary Gaitskill is a moving, poetic novel of female friendship. Beautiful, vain mode, Ali befriends older, caustic Veronica, who has AIDS. The friendship changes her, helping her grow beyond her beauty. - Alison Stone

4 stars. I really liked it.
A humorous and updated retelling of Shakespeare's "The Tempest". - Debra Katz

5 stars. I loved it!
Years after reading the Harry Potter Series and then listening to Jim Dale read them to me, I am know reading them to my 8 year old. I am experiencing the same thrills and sorrows and fears all over again. JK Rowling is a genius with her story line and her prose!! - Debra Katz

5 stars - I loved it!
I read this as a teenager and it is still relevant today. Very truthful, interesting and disturbing.

3 stars - I liked it.
I am a Howard Norman fan and was thrilled when I actually met him some years ago. I was genuinely excited, nay thrilled, to hear that there was another Norman book I hadn't read. Alas, I am a bit disappointed in this one, and I agree with at least one reviewer that the ending was a bit of a let-down. Plot aside (I always let the other reviewers describe plot), the writing is typical Norman: gorgeous, sprinkled with surprising word choices that are wonderful to read. But something about this book just didn't grab me as others did. That being said, if you haven't read Howard Norman before, read The Bird Artist (an absolute stunning book) and then his latest, My Darling Detective, which is great fun but retains Norman's marvelous writing style while nodding in deference to the noir detective story of past years. - Alice Kintisch

3 stars - I liked it.
Jason Bourne's latest quest is simple- save the world. He must complete this task while being stalked by the Russian mafia, the FSB, the NSA , as well as a ruthless Somali arms dealer. Follow Bourne and his friend the Angelmaker as they try to stop a weaponized code from being released. Enjoy! - Alan Pressman

5 stars - I loved it!
Following the success of The Grapes of Wrath and the subsequent persecution Steinbeck received as a result of writing about poor and marginalized Americans, he went through a period of reflection and wrote The Pearl which explores wealth (fame) and what an obsession with wealth can do to a community. It is a raw and unsettling exploration of what the downside of "American Dream" values can look like. - Adrienne Diedrich

4 stars. I really liked it.
I absolutely learned a lot reading this book, however I would have understood some of it better had I known better my Greek history, philosophy, art, literature and poetry/tragedians. It was most definitely out of my comfort zone. - Kimberly Cummings

2 stars - It was OK.
The book was not what I normally read, none of the character had names. They were referred to by their artistic abilities; ie painter, writer, poet, filmmaker. It was also violent and sexually explicit. The end also threw me. - Debra Katz

3 stars - I liked it.
Odd, but this is the second "Shakespeare updated" book I have read this summer. Because I am familiar with Taming of the Shrew the book played out how I was expecting it to. I enjoyed the writing and the characters. - Debra Katz

3 stars - I liked it.
While I enjoyed The Miniaturist (Burton's first book), this second book is a miss for me. I thought I would enjoy the movement to and fro over a 30 year period from London to Barcelona it was a little difficult to follow perhaps if I read it instead of listened to it I would have "seen" the twists. The actor who read Odell's part was magnificent and for this it's worth a read. - Ann Owens

4 stars - I really liked it.
At first this book is really trippy and sarcastic even though the subject matter is depressing. It's a short book--only 252 pages--but well worth the read.

5 stars. I loved it!
I love this series. It combines murder and mystery with the Middle Ages. -Kimberly Cummings

5 stars. I loved it!
Fantastic read. It is the first book I have read from Michael Collins. Lots of action which I like and no filler. -Kimberly Cummings

5 stars. I loved it!
Another great book in the Maise Dobbs series. Winspear is able to describe the grief and trauma of this period in history. I usually don't read books about wartime but this is so well done. I have learned so much. - Jane Friedman